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The 9-2 New Orleans Saints will travel to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 13 to face off against the 4-7 Atlanta Falcons in a classic NFC South battle. These two teams just played each other in Week 11, with the Saints coming away with a 24-9 win at home.
New Orleans is the hottest team in the NFL right now. They have won eight games in a row and are atop the NFC standings. The Saints easily defeated the Denver Broncos in Week 12 by a final score of 31-3. Denver played without a quarterback and New Orleans didn't fall for the trap game.
The Falcons, meanwhile, are coming off an upset victory at home in Week 12 over the Las Vegas Raiders. Atlanta blew out Las Vegas, 43-6. The Falcons' defense forced five turnovers against the Raiders.
With the Saints and Falcons set to kick off soon, let's take a look at four bold predictions for the contest from a New Orleans point of view.
1. Taysom Hill throws 1 TD, rushes for 2
In Week 11 against the Falcons, Saints quarterback Taysom Hill made his first career start in the NFL. The former BYU star went 18-of-23 for 233 yards through the air. He also carried the ball 10 times for 49 yards and two touchdowns.
Hill has yet to throw a touchdown pass in the NFL. However, we have that streak ending in Week 13 against the Falcons in Atlanta. Look for Hill to throw one touchdown pass versus the Falcons and also rush for two scores. Even when opposing defenses know Hill is going to run the ball, they still can't seem to find a way to stop him.
In seven career games against the Falcons, Hill has three rushing touchdowns. He's also thrown for 250 yards on 25 pass attempts. If you have Hill on your fantasy team, you better make sure he's starting in Week 13 since the 30-year-old is likely going to get you points through the air and on the ground.
2. Alvin Kamara scores 1 rushing TD, 1 receiving score
Through 11 games this season, Saints superstar running back Alvin Kamara has been a monster both in the ground and passing game. He has 128 carries for 585 yards and eight touchdowns. Kamara has also caught 68 balls for 646 yards and four touchdowns.
Against the Falcons in Week 13, we have Kamara scoring a rushing and receiving touchdown. Back in Week 11, the three-time Pro Bowler scored a three-yard touchdown on the ground versus Atlanta. He finished the game with 45 rushing yards but zero receiving yards.
Since Hill isn't your traditional passing quarterback, Saints head coach Sean Payton is going to try and find more ways to get the ball in Kamara's hands just so he can protect Hill. Even though Kamara is dealing with a foot injury, he's expected to play against the Falcons on Sunday, so you better start him in fantasy football if he's on your squad.
3. Saints sack Matt Ryan 5 times, pick him off once
In Week 11, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan got sacked eight times by the Saints' defense. The former MVP also threw two interceptions. It was a nightmare day for Ryan, who can't be looking forward to facing the Saints so soon again.
We have New Orleans sacking Ryan five times in Week 13 and picking him off once. The Saints' defense is playing really good football on all three levels and wreaking havoc thanks to Kwon Alexander, Malcolm Jenkins and Cameron Jordan.
For whatever reason, the Saints just have Ryan's number. He's only 9-15 in his career against New Orleans, though the former third-overall pick does have 43 touchdown passes and only 18 interceptions.
The 2020 Saints, though, are a different team. They actually have a strong defense, as New Orleans is only allowing 20.5 points per game on the season. That's good for fourth in the NFL.
4. Saints defeat Falcons, improve to 10-2
We have the Saints easily defeating the Falcons in Week 13 and improving to 10-2 on the season. All signs point toward New Orleans securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC this season and getting that first-round bye in the playoffs, which is huge since it will give Drew Brees more time to recover from his 11 broken ribs and collapsed right lung.
Under Payton, the Saints have always had an elite offense. However, this is the first season in a very long time that we can say the defensive is really good as well.
Since we don't know when Brees is going to come back and Hill is still unproven as a passer, New Orleans' defense will have to continue to play like a top unit if the franchise wants to win the Super Bowl this season.
